The Plain Sense of Things
by karrenia
Summary: A look at Matt Parkman and how he copes with his newly discovered abilities; set midway through the first season.


Disclaimer: Heroes is the creation of Tim Kring and NBC Television as are the characters of Matt Parkman and Audrey Hanson. The story references events from the 1st season.

"The Plain Sense of Things" by Karen

You would think getting in on the wavelength of other people's thoughts and intentions would be a sweet gig; yeah, you would think that. It might even come in handy in his line of work, and for a while Matt Parkman wanted to believe that, until he had to talk his local pharmacist into letting him have the over-the counter strongest headache available.

The stuff only worked for so long, and in between stops he was popping the stuff like candy and Matt was not completely dense he caught the sidelong from his new partner, Agent Audrey Hanson, and even her not so subtle remarks.

Given that he was still uncertain about his own newfound telepathic abilities, and his own personal marriage problems; it was probably best that he not get her involved as well.

On the heels of that Matt mentally gave himself a stern talking-to and told him that there was a reason why there existed that fine line between mixing business and pleasure. And the back of his mind, he thought," God, I am such a moron, these days, Janice was right, Maybe I can read minds, bully for me, but for someone with psychic abilities sometimes I really can be incredibly dense.'

"The mission comes first, and right now our priority is finding Sylar, before he kills anyone else." Matt had muttered this last aloud and under his breath.

Audrey came out of thousands of ubiquitous 7 11 convenience stories, walked the short distance to where he waited in the parked car. When she arrived, he nodded and accepted one of the steaming hot Styrofoam cup and got back into the car where had had been waiting. "Talking to yourself again, Parkman?"

Up until recently the manhunt organized by the FBI and the various police departments from New York to other states had either come up just short of their goal or completely bone dry. Matt was a professional cop, and as frustrating and elusive as this job was proving to be; they would not simply throw up their hands and give up.

Finally a break in the case, Sylar might be here in this sleepy little town of Odessa, Texas, held captive in a paper factory of all places, "Still," Matt thought as he leaned back in the padded leather seat of the car, "Stranger things have happened, Hell, I'm living proof of that, now if I could just figure out how to get rid of the buzzing white noise in my head every time something comes through, I'd be all right."

It was not in Matt Parkman's nature to think as if someone was out to get him, but it had been more than a month since he had drunk himself into a stupor, passed out on the bar floor and woken up in an unfamiliar place with his head throbbing like someone was using it for a drum in a heavy metal band concert. In the back of his mind, Matt recalled a fragment from a half-remembered lyrics, "Ok, you know you've lost your mind when you laugh and cry at the same time.'"

That incident had certainly not been a figment of his imagination, nor was the remembered sight of the man in the horn-rimmed glasses either. He would sweat by his police badge and his word on that score. While this was worrisome; Matt had more or less resigned himself to a very basic line of reasoning; it had had happened, and now it was over. It was time to move on.

"Parkman."

Matt heard Audrey Hanson's voice as if from very far away, although she stood a good distance away instead of right beside in the driver's side seat of the car.

And he realized with a start that nearly spilled the hot liquid of his beverage all over the front of his shirt, that she had been calling his name for at least the past five minutes. "You spacing out on me?" she asked both worried and irritated about this gaps in his attention span.

While she knew and allowed for that fact that he was having well, let's face it domestic problems in his marriage, that was no reason to lose focus on the task at hand. "Damn it, man, snap out of it. You had me worried there."

"Huh? What?" Matt stammered, finally managing to work through the fog of the white noise that had subsumed everything else in his immediate surroundings, before he was able to concentrate and focus in what was happening.

"Good, welcome back from wherever it is you go, when you have your psychic trips," Audrey said with a not unfriendly and unsympathetic smile on her lips," but as I'm certain you're aware I've got a lot riding on this hunch of yours."

"It's more than a hunch," replied Matt with a wry smile of his own."

"I hope so," Audrey sighed. "This sting operation may be our last chance to catch this Sylar guy."

"I know," Matt replied. "I know."

"You ready for this?" she asked.

"Yes."

She glanced sidelong at him with one eyebrow at a distinct tilt.

"Ready as I'll ever be, and don't worry, so much."

"It's in my nature. I can't help it. All right. That' the spirit, So, let's get this over with."


End file.
